


Rough 'N Tumble

by DragonWyrd316



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Shenanigans, Smut, bratty siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-13 16:50:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5709823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonWyrd316/pseuds/DragonWyrd316
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lt. Pierce is a die hard Imperial soldier, letting nothing stand in his way, until he met Darth Baras' apprentice.  Some spoilers for Knights of the Fallen Empire.  Mature rating for later chapters and language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue Pt 1 - Broken

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give thanks to erunamiryene because, without her and her stories of Kryn/Marr and Lin/Pierce, I don't know that the muse would've kicked my ass into gear when it came to writing my own SWTOR fic, outside of a few drabbles here & there. Also she let me use her OTP title from tumblr for my fic title. Thanks hon!

She heard the brawl before she even stepped foot in the cantina, Tatooine’s winds enveloping her not just in sand, but sound as well.  Stepping inside away from flying grit, her ears were greeted by cheers and jeers loud enough to drown out the band.  She loved a good cantina fight as well as the next person, but even so she made her way cautiously down the stairs. A body went flying, barely missing her as it fell into the rodian bartender who was already tucked tight behind the counter of the bar near the stairwell.  A large meaty fist flew out of the throng of bodies and Jax winced in empathy as it connected squarely with the nose of another one of the participants, the resulting crack accompanied with a spray of blood that seemed to hang mid-flight for a moment, like sparkling rubies, before it splattered over the men’s clothing. 

“Buncha damned idiots,” Jax muttered under her breath.  Sighing, she placed her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and let loose an ear shattering whistle, startling the fighters and taking their attention off the brawl, but not before another felt that same large fist from before barrel into his gut.  Once she was sure the fight had stopped, she clapped her hands together like a grade-school teacher to get all eyes on her.  “All right children, playtime’s over.”

The men grumbled, many of them limping off toward the stairs or to an empty seat to nurse their wounds.  Storming up to the biggest of the lot, Jax grabbed the red-headed man by the ear, though it was quite a stretch for her, and dragged him into one of the private rooms in the back while barking orders at one of the waitresses for kolto, ice, towels, bandages, and two large mugs of Andoan ale.

“Fuck, mind not twistin’ so damned hard on the ear?  And who’re you to think you’ve got th’ right to go draggin’ a man around like a child anyway?” the big brute growled as he was abruptly shoved down onto one of the couches, trying to focus his gaze on the woman standing in front of him, his eyesight blurry, before giving up and closing them to ward off the pain.

“Must be drunker’n I thought,” Jax muttered, nodding her thanks to the waitress who brought in the requested supplies and set them on a nearby table.  “Or someone clocked you one helluva good one, big brother.  Mind telling me what you’re doing starting a fight in my establishment, Laney?” she asked, dumping some of the ice onto one of the towels to make a cold pack, then kneeling in front of the man to press it gently against a bruise already starting to form along the side of his face.

“Stars, y’know I hate it when you call me that,” the man grumbled, though he rested a big paw of a hand on top of the one holding the ice to his head.

“Well then let’s try this on for size and see if I can pull this off,” Jax responded.  Allowing the much tamped down, natural Imperial accent to tinge her speech, she leaned into him until they were nose to nose.  “Alain Donovan Pierce, what the _fuck_ were you thinking starting a fight in my cantina?”

“Damn, you sound just like Mum when you do that,” Pierce winced, opening his chocolate brown eyes to look into his sister’s gentle green ones.  “Didn’t know this was your place.  Just send me the bill.  You know I’m good for it.”

“Actually, no I don’t.  Got word from the brat-in-law that you were placed on administrative leave from the Imperial military.  Something about taking on suicidal missions on your own?  What’s happening in that pea sized brain of yours?”  Even though her words were sharp, Jax’s tone was gentle.  While she waited for him to answer, she went about applying kolto to Pierce’s wounds, which were surprisingly few considering he had a pile of men on top of him just a few moments earlier.

“It’s been a year,” he finally replied.  “She hasn’t turned up and everyone said they felt Marr’s and Vitiate’s deaths not too long after the ship went supernova during that ambush by the Eternal Fleet.  I can only assume…” he let the words trail off before taking in a large breath and continuing. “There’s also the fact I’ve been a piss poor father to Bella, having to let someone else raise her because the damned military wouldn’t let me take the time to be what my daughter needs.  And…”

“And?” she prompted.

“And I was thinking of the day Chel and I met when some li’l shit starts runnin’ his mouth about how he’s glad that he doesn’t have to watch over his shoulder for the Wrath anymore with her bein’ blown to bits by Zakuul’s military and, well, I lost it.”

Reaching out to cup his face in her hands, Jax leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.  “Laney, you can’t give up hope,” she murmured to her brother.  “I’m just as force sensitive as you are, which means it could fart in my face and I wouldn’t know it, but think about it.  They felt Marr’s and Vitiate’s deaths, not Lachiele’s.  Being the Wrath and a powerful Sith in her own right, don’t you think they’d have felt it if she’d died too?  And you’re a damned fine papa to little Bella.  You may not be able to be with her right now, but you don’t ignore her.  She looks forward to your holocalls, going so far as to pull the transmitter off my belt and setting it on the table when she knows you’re about to call.  Quit beating yourself up about that.”

“I hadn’t thought about it that way, about Chel,” Pierce replied, not seeming to notice that he’d been called that hated nickname, or purposely ignoring it.  “And you’re sure you and Cantarus don’t mind watching Bella?  I could do some digging and see if I can find either Vette or Jaesa and ask them if they could help.”

“Pierce, she’s a holy terror and therefore the perfect playmate for Cole Jr.  She doesn’t let him boss her around and she’s learned from the best on how to get a good grip on a boy’s ear to get his attention,” Jax chuckled, getting a laugh out of her brother in response.  Leaning back on her heels, she ruffled her hand over the hair Pierce had let grow out of the closely cropped and shaved hairstyle he’d kept since joining the military.  Raising his head, Pierce finally focused his gaze on his sister, arching a brow as he looked her over. 

"For fuck's sake, Jax, what _did_ you do to your hair?"

"Well, you know the knights are looking for an incredibly gorgeous redhead who keeps snatching the shinies out from under their greedy Zakuulan hands, so I figured a change was necessary," Jax replied with a grin, fluffing her long hair and running her fingers through the waist length strands.  

"But it’s… blue!  And not just a regular blue, it's a ‘rival the neon lights on Nar Shaddaa’ blue."

"It's Cole's favorite color."

Pierce reached over and rubbed a thumb over one of her eyebrows. "You even managed to dye these little bits too?"

"Aaaand, if they ever decide to do a strip search..." Jae'xi's eyes shone with mirth.

"Fuck me, that is _so_ not an image I wanted in my head of my baby sister," Pierce grumbled, though his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“You have to admit the thought got you out of that funk you were in not but a few moments ago, though, right?  Now here’s an idea - let’s get out of here.  My friend Loki’kir’s compound isn’t too far and he and his husband O’rio’n won’t bother us.

“Are they also ‘purveyors of fine specialty goods’ like you, Jax?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Yes, they’re smugglers too,” she chuckled, “business partners actually.  This crackdown by Zakuul has drummed up more work for us, though a chunk of it is unpaid because it’s supplies people need to survive.  It’s why I’ve also invested in cantinas throughout the system.  Helps pay for our overhead.”

“They’re not going to give you shit for bringing an Imperial to their doorstep?”

“Not even remotely.  Our business comes from both sides now.  We’re not solely Republic privateers any longer.  Besides, you’re my brother,” Jax answered, grabbing Pierce’s hand, helping him stand.

“Damn, you’re short.  Forgot what a li’l bit you are,” her brother’s chest rumbled with laughter.

“Just wait til you get around Bella.  You feel like a giant now…”

“Bella?  She’s at the compound too?” Pierce couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice.

“Along with Cole and his mini-me,” Jax grinned up at him.

“Fuck me.  Has he forgiven me for the Bastion yet?” he asked, remembering Cantarus’s reaction when he learned his bride-to-be’s brother had been responsible for doing what was believed to be the impossible - cracking the Bastion’s defenses.

“You’ll just have to tag along to find out,” she replied, laughing, tugging him along behind her out the back door and into the dusky evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Broken by Seether feat. Amy Lee helped with the mood on this chapter. 
> 
> I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh  
> I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
> I keep your photograph, I know it serves me well  
> I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
> 
> 'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
> And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
> 'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
> And I don't feel right when you're gone away


	2. Prologue Pt 2 - Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pierce reconnects with family and is somewhat brought up to speed with some of the doings of Zakuul on Tatooine.

The sandstorm had worsened by the time they exited the cantina.  Huddling against the wind and stinging sand, Jax was quite glad her husband had urged her to take their two-seater Corellian Stardrive Stealth speeder.  Driving in this would be bad enough, but had she taken one of her open air speeders, the drive back would’ve been a total bitch.

“Driving through this muck’ll be fun.”  Pierce chuckled.  “Sure glad it’s you doing it, not me.”

“Be glad I listened to Cole and brought this speeder or you’d be digging sand out of cracks you didn’t know you had for the next few weeks.”  Jax shot a grin over at her brother while expertly maneuvering the speeder over Tatooine’s desert floor.

“Now that’s not a comfortable thought.”  Pierce grimaced.  “So, what brought you out to Tat?  Business?”

“I wish,” she sighed.  Decision made, Jax did a quick about turn, driving away from the storm and Lok and Rio’s place, towards a small Imperial outpost.  After approximately 15 minutes, she slowed the vehicle to a crawl and popped the hatch.

“Look over there,” she said, pointing off to their left.  “Haven’t had a chance yet to get up close, but Zakuul brought in workers to build whatever that’s supposed to be.”  She nodded in the direction of the skeletal structure.  “They’re also constructing what looks to be some sort of station above the planet.  If Bellamina and Junior hadn’t been on board, I’d’ve done a flyby to get a better look.”

“Why haven’t your friends checked it out instead of calling you?” Pierce asked, looking over at his sister as she closed the hatch and sped away from the construction site.

“Because the upgrades to the _Deuces Wild_ that were installed during my time going after Nok Drayen’s riches are still holding strong.  Between those and the Iso-5 addition you and Chel snuck to me, my ship is one of the few that can outrun those bastards and not burn out after a few hyperspace jumps,” Jax replied.

“Fair point,” Pierce stated, stretching his legs out in front of him and getting comfortable for the drive back to the smuggler’s hideaway.  “Let’s head up later to check it out.”

 

* * *

 

“Papa!”  The three year old red haired banshee shrieked, barreling across the yard toward Pierce the moment she saw him hop out of the speeder, her curls bouncing around her shoulders with every step.

“Bella!” He replied, getting down on one knee just in time to catch her as she launched herself at him.  Wrapping her up in a one-armed bear hug, his other arm going beneath to support her bottom, Pierce stood, burying his face in the downy softness of his daughter’s hair.

“Papa,” she said again, softer this time, her little sniffles muffled from shoving her nose against the crook of his neck, winding her little arms tight around his nape.

“I’m here, _a stór_ ,” he murmured, rubbing a hand gently up and down her back.

“That scene right there almost makes me forgive him for his actions on Corellia,” Cole mumbled to his wife as she approached him.  “Almost, but not quite.”

Smiling sweetly, Jax elbowed him in the gut, earning a satisfying grunt from her husband.  “I’m still a bit sore over the fact you initially broke our engagement because of it.”

“Fine!  I give!  All’s forgiven!” He gasped, though there was laughter in his voice.

“Good.  I never told him and since I prefer you in one piece, let’s keep it that way.”

Pierce made his way over to the couple, Bellamina clinging to him in a way that suggested she had no intentions of letting her papa go any time soon.

“Thanks again for watching over her for me,” Pierce’s tone was subdued, his eyes shifting from his sister over to Cole.  “I know it can’t have been easy taking on another child, especially when myself and her mother fight on the opposite side of the two of you.”

Cole studied Pierce for a moment before replying.  “You needed help. It had nothing to do with you being Imperial, and everything to do with the fact that you were trying to do what you could for Bella.  Not your fault that your superiors weren’t cooperating and you needed to know she was safe and truly cared for by people who wouldn’t take advantage of the situation or use her towards a power play.”

“We’re family, Laney,” Jax murmured, reaching out to rub a hand up and down her brother’s arm.  “And knowing which side you’re on, we’ve made sure to be careful of what we teach her regarding the Sith and Imperials, even Jedi and the Republic.”

“Appreciate it.  Feel free to teach her all you want about Zakuul though.  As she gets older, I want her to make sure to be careful around those bast… err buggers.  Make sure she knows how to fight - I don’t care if it’s with her fists or with blasters,” Pierce sighed, turning his head slightly to kiss his daughter’s temple.

“I c’n move tings wif my mind!” Bella chimed in, giggling a little bit, raising her head to look up into her papa’s eyes.  Her grin brought out a dimple in each cheek.

“Ooooh boy,” Pierce half groaned, half laughed.

“Yeah, that’s a new development within the last month or so.  Looks like she’s a force sensitive like her mom,” Jax reached out and playfully tugged on one of Bellamina’s corkscrew curls.

“Mama?” Bella looked between Jax and Pierce.  “Mama here too?”

“No baby,” Pierce answered.  “We’re still trying to find mama.” Gazing down at his sister, his eyes were sadder than usual.  “This really makes me wish Chel were here.  She’d know how to handle this.  I don’t have any pull with the Sith to get anyone to help teach her and, well, you live deep in Pub territory on Corellia so it’s not like they could do anything anyway.”

“Actually we had some ideas on that,” Cole interjected, continuing on once he received the slight nod from his wife to do so.  “With all that’s going on with both sides, and Acina proclaiming herself Empress over the Empire, Chel’s friend Aris, Darth Occlus, has been on the run.  Too sweet and squeaky for Acina’s likes, I guess.  Probably because she’s not one of those crazy “fry everything!” types.  Theron’s been trying to help her find a safehouse.”

“Aris is good people.  So’s Theron.  I’m glad he’s helping her,” Pierce smiled.

Jax nodded in agreement.  “But what Cole and I were thinking was this - we move into my hideaway on Nar Shaddaa, and with it being in Hutt space, no one can say jack about her showing up nor would anyone really notice.  We get her to teach Bella the Sith side of things, the ranged and mainly force heavy ways of utilizing her gift.  Added to that, one of Rio’s cousins, guy named Vanderyn, happens to be the Battlemaster of the Jedi order.  Rio said he could probably talk Van into helping out with the more melee side of things, though it’s a different style of fighting than your wife since he wields two sabers.”

“They’d start out slow, of course.  She’s only three.  Right now it would be more along the lines of helping her control what she has and then building into teaching her fighting styles once they feel she’s ready,” Cole added.

“I like it.  Chel was proud of being a warrior, and until I really got to understand her, we got into more than enough tiffs about how I didn’t think she was acting like a proper Sith lord since she wasn’t all “Grrr, hissss, slice ‘n dice, kill, kill, kill,” like we were brought up to believe they should be.  Kept saying things about force in balance and not going to extremes in either direction, just letting it aid her instead of her forcing it in the direction she wanted it to go.  Stuff like that.”

“Oh that’s a load off.  From what I understand, Van’s not a goody two-shoes Jedi either.  Follows the Grey Jedi code, whatever that is,” Jax shrugged.  “Though it sounds a lot like what Aris and Van both adhere to, as well as sis-in-law.”

A soft snore interrupted the adults, and Pierce had to swallow the laugh that threatened to burst forth at the sounds being emitted from his now sleeping daughter.

“Oh just wait til she gets going.  She rivals you in that area, brother,” Jax smirked.

“I think that’s why Chel and I fit so well together - she saws ‘em just as good as I do,” replied Pierce, not taking offense to his sister’s insult.

“Gah, with the two of you at it, how did you keep Chel’s ship together?  I know that had to rattle more than a few bolts loose.”

“Can’t be worse than your wookie friend, Jax,” Cole pointed out.

“Stars, got a point there,” she grinned.

“So what’s the plan?” Pierce asked.

“How about you put miss Bella down for her nap, since it seems our talking put her to sleep, and then you regale us with the tale of how you and Chel met.  Been there for the wedding, hell you guys even let me officiate it for you, but I’ve never actually heard the story of you and her getting to that point,” his sister answered.

“Sounds good.  Just point me in the direction of where I need to go with Bellamina.”

Jax led him to the rooms that Rio and Lok had loaned them for their stay then gave him directions of where to meet her and Cole - a smallish cantina room a little ways off from the family units.

“Do you really want to hear all this?” Cole asked her as they waited on her brother.

“Actually, yeah, and I think it might do him some good to talk about Chel.  It’s not like he’s got anyone he can trust otherwise, to really be able to lose himself in memories of her.”

“Hmm, could be right, and I have to admit, I’m a bit curious myself.  Wouldn’t mind learning more about the woman they had named the Empire’s Wrath especially when she seems to be anything but wrathful.”

“Oh don’t let her jokester personality blind you,” Pierce interrupted, stepping into the cantina.  “You get her pissed off and then push her to the point of breaking, like anyone, she’ll tear you to shreds.  Add family and friends into the mix?  She’d make a rancor look cuddly.”

Studying the drinks in the well stocked cabinet, Pierce pulled out a mug and poured himself a good helping of Andoan ale and dropped in a shot of Corellian whiskey.  Finding a good cushy chair near his sister and brother-in-law, he leaned back and got comfortable, resting an ankle on one knee.

“You wanna know how we met?  It was during the time that the Empire had finally decided to truly push back the Republic on Taris.  I’m stuck working directly with Moff Hurdenn…” He paused, chuckling at his sister’s shudder,  “whom I see you remember, brat, and expecting that this Lord Paxis that I’m told I’ll be serving will be the usual nasty Sith bitch.  I couldn’t’ve been more wrong on that score…”

 


End file.
